This invention relates generally to reels for lines such as cable or cord, and more particularly concerns a line dispensing and retracting reel in which the amount of dispensing of line is controlled by structure associated with reeling and unreeling of the line.
In spring-operated, self-retracting reels, eventual failure through repeated use will sometimes occur when the reel is fully extended. If the reel is designed so that its outward extension is limited by the retracting spring becoming solidly wound ("bottoming out"), failure is likely to occur at the outer-end anchor point of the spring. If the reel is designed so that its outward extension is limited by the retractable element (cord, tape, chain, etc.) unwinding to its end, failure is likely to occur at the inner-end anchor point of the retractable element.
Both types of failure occur because the normally tangential anchorage of the spring or the retractable element is subjected to almost radial forces. If such radial forces can be avoided, the described types of failure are less likely to occur.